The City of La Porte Park and Recreation Department will be offering four free and open to the public presentations that will expand your knowledge of gardening and lawn care. The presentations will all be held at the Park and Recreation Department office 250 Pine Lake Avenue in La Porte. All of the presentations will begin at 9:00 am and last for about an hour. The presentations will cover a variety of topics, the schedule is as follows:
Saturday February 15th – Rain Barrels and Landscape Water Conservation; Have you ever wondered what a rain barrel is, or have you ever wanted to know how you could conserve water and benefit the environment? Then this workshop is for you! Topics covered will be rainwater harvesting, the use of native plants to conserve water, mulching and other backyard conservation practices. Presenters are Nicole Messacar, Education Coordinator at the LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District and Steve Sass, President of the North Chapter of the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society. Join them as they encourage you to "Think Spring" and green up your home landscape.
Saturday March 1st – Composting and Organic Gardening; You hear people talk about it and can sometimes find a bag of something with that word on it at the local lawn and garden store, but what is it really? We will discuss what exactly happens in a compost pile, the better the ingredients the better the compost, simple compost recipes, overwintering your compost pile and how to use compost.
Saturday March 15th – Lawn to Lake; Lawns are a significant feature in the urban landscape. These often heavily managed landscapes have the potential to contribute to runoff pollution due to over-fertilization, over-application of pesticides, and overwatering. The Lawn to Lake is a collaborative program that promotes healthy lawn and landscape practices that protect our lakes and streams. Presenter for this session is Joe Exl Senior Water Resource Planner, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission.
Saturday March 29th – Lawn Care Basics, how what you do to your lawn is more important than what you apply; Come and learn basic mowing techniques, how and when to water, should you bag your grass or leave it there and many more ways to put the green back in your lawn. Presenter for this session is David Millar who was the owner of Red Hen Turf Farm for over 25 years. He teaches the turf lesson of the Purdue Master Gardner program in two counties. He likes to help people sort through the marketing hype that confronts homeowners so they can have an environmentally responsible lawn.
There is no fee to attend the sessions. If you have any questions please contact the City of La Porte Park and Recreation at 326-9600.